Rainy Days & Dirty Laundry
by superwhomerlock
Summary: It started with a trip to the laundry mat. All Blaine wanted to do was show Dave that it was okay to be gay.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

It all started when Dave's washer broke.

Dammit, he hated going to the laundromat (especially when it was pouring down rain in Lima) but he needed clean clothes. He gathered all his clothes, stuffing them into a hamper with little care before getting some money from his dad to get quarters. Throwing them into his truck, he sat for a moment, watching the rain slide down his windshield before he finally jammed the key into the ignition and drove to the closest laundromat.

Practically throwing a tantrum the entire way into the rather large and bustling business, he found a washer in the corner and jammed all his clothes in. Colors with whites … hell, he never separated them. Not unless he absolutely had to use bleach, and usually his white clothes didn't get _that_ dirty in the first place. Dave had brought his iPod along with him, hoping to drown out the buzz of people trying to get their clothes washed for the week. The hockey jock moved over to plop down on a bench without looking, hoping to catch a few z's while he waited for the washer to be done.

How could he have sat next to _him_?

Anyone but _him._

What was he even _doing_ in Lima again?

He should have ignored him. He should have punched him in his god damn _perfect, smug_ face.

"… It was David, right?"

Dave took a moment to register that the voice wasn't coming from his headphones before looking to his right. The color drained from his face. It was that douche nozzle that had tried to 'help' him after the 'unspeakable event' that had happened with Hummel. Didn't that kid go to that all fairies school, Dalton? What the hell was he doing _here_ of all places.

"I see you're surprised. I don't think we got to be formally introduced. I'm Blaine," the douche nozzle said as he held out a hand to shake the others.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dave managed to hiss out after his initial shock, completely ignoring the hand that had been offered to him.

"… It's a laundromat, David. I'm washing clothes. It was David, right?"

"… How the hell do you know my name? I'm pretty sure Hummel doesn't call me that—Does he?" Dave had to pause and think about that. If Hummel called him David … did it mean something? Of course it didn't. "Whatever. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, when he first mentioned you the first time you and I … met … He showed me your picture in the yearbook, and I have a knack for remembering names. As for what I'm doing here, I said I was washing clothes. Granted, this place wasn't my first choice … but it was close enough to Kurt's house that I didn't have to venture far."

"You're at Hummel's place?"

"Oh, he needed some help with school work, so I ended up spending the night. I hate travelling with dirty clothes—they stink up your car—and unfortunately, the Hummel's washer broke a few days ago."

Perfect. Just fucking _perfect_.

"Look, I don't know why the hell you're talking to me. I don't like you. I'm two seconds away from punching you in your face. Just shut the hell up and leave me alone," Dave finally said before jamming the ear bud in his ear once again as Blaine rose his hands in a silent 'I'll back off'.

Now he wasn't going to get that nap he was hoping for. Not with that douche nozzle next to him.

He could _feel_ him watching him … that damn smug smirk still on his face.

What had Dave done to deserve this? … Well … a lot of things, actually, but he really didn't feel like dealing with that right now.

And then the bastard was closer than ever to him! Dave looked over at him, their bodies inches apart, the look of horror probably clear on his face before it turned to anger as Blair—Blake? No, maybe it was Blaine … yeah, that was it—was pointing to his iPod and mouthing something. Dave yanked the ear bud out before growling at the other, "_What?_"

"I was just asking what you were listening to. You seemed pretty into it."

Is he serious? "Poison."

"The eighties hair band? They're pretty good."

Dave gave him a confused look. The guy knew _Poison_? He knew something other than show tunes? "… Yeah."

"… Though, I don't know if they're my _favorite_ eighties band …"

"Look, did I give you the impression I want to _talk_ to you?

"Sorry, just trying to strike up a conv—"

"I don't want to talk to you. Besides, what the hell do you know about eighties bands?"

"Not all gay guys like just Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. You know, I'm actually a pretty big football fan?" He offered. Maybe if he showed Dave that gay guys didn't have to be … well … like Kurt … It would make things easier for him.

The only thing he got was another look—he wasn't sure if it was anger or confusion—from Dave before he got up and moved his clothes into the dryer and sat at another bench. Blaine sighed, but decided not to press the other on it. The Dalton male got up and put his own clothes in a dryer next to Dave's own dryer. Honestly, he was glad the other just hadn't tried to maul him. Perhaps this counted as progress? It was a silent hour as their clothes dried. Blaine looked over to see Dave really getting into his music, complete with air drums and air guitars as he mouthed the words to the songs so perfectly that Blaine could make out exactly which song he was on (currently: _Nothing But A Good Time_).

Soon, however, Dave was getting up and shoving his clothes as fast as he could into his hamper before Blaine could get up to do the same. It was obvious that Dave wanted the hell out of there, even Blaine could see it. And with one last glance at the Dalton male, Dave was practically running from the laundromat. Blaine sighed but got up and began to pull his own clothes from the dryer, folding them neatly before happening to catch something out of the corner of his eye.

In his rush, Dave had left behind a blue, plaid, button down shirt.

Blaine debated. And debated. And then debated some more before he finally reached into the other's dryer and plucked the shirt from the dryer and folded it, adding it neatly to his stack of clothes. He was sure it would come in handy later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

"Where the hell is it?" Dave yelled out, gaining a 'watch your language!' from his mother downstairs. Right now was _not_ the time for her to be scolding him. He couldn't find his favorite shirt! He'd gone to hunt it down earlier that morning to wear it to school (Tuesday was plaid day for him—and no he didn't plan his outfits ahead of time, he just liked to wear plaid. On Tuesdays) and it wasn't there. He loved that shirt (probably the best Christmas present his Aunt had ever given him) and now it was gone. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen it since the laundromat incident on Sunday. What if he had left it there? Some hobo was probably wearing his favorite shirt right about now!

Dave tried to control his rage. He'd just have to play some Halo or something to take out his frustration on innocent ten year olds. He logged into his Facebook, changing his status to something about 'pwning n00bs on xbox live' and if anyone wanted to join, he gave them his gamertag. Then he noticed the message notification in the top left hand corner. What did Azimio want? After all … that's pretty much the only person who messaged him anymore … and even that was few and far between. He secretly wondered if he was giving off gay-vibes now and Azimio had caught on.

_**Between Blaine Anderson and You**_

_Hello David,_

_I managed to find your Facebook page after a bit of searching. I'm sorry if I upset you the other day. Perhaps we could meet—_

Dave deleted the message.

He couldn't even finish reading the damn thing. What did that bastard _want_ with him? Hadn't he bothered him enough in the laundromat? He went to close the page before he saw a red dot appear on his screen.

Another notification. A friend request.

From _him._

Was he fucking serious? Dave slammed his laptop closed as if that was going to solve all his problems right then and there. He needed some serious game time. Moving over to a beanbag on his floor, he plopped down and grabbed his headset, turning his xbox on. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed himself down before scrolling through and going to find a room to play in. He raised a brow as he saw there was someone requesting to start a room with him. The gamertag, buck3y3sf4n, didn't look familiar but he shrugged and figured it must have been someone from school, after all, he knew a lot of Buckeyes fans, and entered the room. After all, if it was someone from school and he whooped his ass … Well, that was even more satisfying because he could just rub it in the other's face as soon as he found out who it was.

"Hello David," came the voice through his head set.

"You have _got_ to be _shitting_ me," Dave said out loud, gaining a laugh from the other end. Seriously, what the _fuck_ was going on? Was this some sort of big joke that no one had let Dave in on. Checking over his calendar to make sure it wasn't April first, then looking around his room to make sure that he wasn't on some sort of hidden camera show, he still was on edge. He was sure that it was possible that this was all just some sort of cruel joke. Don't get him wrong, he loved jokes and pranks … but he hated being on the receiving end of jokes. "How the fuck did you get my gamertag?"

"… Your Facebook isn't set to private … So I could see your wall …" the voice on the other end said, "Did you read my message?"

"No, I deleted it. What the fuck are you doing, stalking me now?" Dave questioned. "Hummel not man enough for you, so you're trying to get it elsewhere—newsflash: _I'm not gay_."

Another laugh, "David, we both know that's not exactly the truth. Either way, I wasn't exactly trying to ask you out on a date. I was trying to return something to you."

"How the hell would you have something of mine? You didn't sneak into my house did you? I swear to god, if you did—"

"Calm down. You left behind your shirt at the laundromat."

His shirt. _He_ had Dave's shirt! Did he even _want_ it back at this point? Well … It _was_ his favorite shirt.

"… You have my shirt?"

"It's actually quite comforta—"

"You _WORE_ my shirt?"

"Ah … I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if—"

"… I don't care WHAT the hell you wanted to see! That's MY shirt! You don't just fucking put it on!" Dave's hands clenched around the controller; he was so close to breaking it. He couldn't believe that not only had the bastard _stolen_ his shirt, he _wore_ it too! Maybe he should just let the shirt go. He could always call his aunt and see what store she'd bought it from and go buy another one. There were two problems with that: One, they could've stopped selling it and two, that shirt was already worn in.

"I washed it again, don't worry. It's not covered in _gay_ or whatever it is you must think. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up to come and claim it on—"

"You can't mail it to me?"

"David, _please_ stop interrupting me … " Blaine's calm, patient voice came over the headset, followed by a sigh. "I will not mail it to you. I'll give it back to you on _one_ condition."

"Now there's fucking _conditions_ for getting _my_ clothes back?"

"… Yes."

Dave was silent for a few moments. He took the headset off, to pace around his room and calm down before he seriously broke something. He was on the verge of snapping. Why couldn't he just be left ALONE? Was that too much to ask? After he calmed down a bit, he finally moved back to the xbox and picked up his headset. "… Fine. What is it? And it better not be something gay."

"… Well I guess I just won't say 'date'. Come have coffee with me. Friday at four o'clock."

A damn coffee date? "I actually have to sit and have a coffee with you?" He said frowning.

"Yes, and a civilized conversation … if you can manage it. Then you can have your shirt back. I promise that you won't hate it that much. There is obviously a lot going on and it seems you have no one to talk to … "

"Look, I just want my shirt back. I'll go have some damn coffee, but I'm not going to be happy about it. We're not 'friends' and I have _nothing_ going on that I'd need to talk to anyone, especially _you_, about."

The head set was quiet for a while before Blaine's voice finally came back, "Fair enough. Perhaps we can just talk about football?" He said and Dave could _hear_ the smile in the other's voice. Seriously, did this guy shit rainbows? He was _always_ smiling. Even when Dave had grabbed him and pushed him against the fence …

Dave shook his head to get the picture out of his mind.

"Fine. Whatever. Give me the address. And like I said. _No. Gay. Shit,_" Dave made sure to reiterate.

He wasn't gay. No. He wasn't.

Sure, he'd kissed _Kurt Hummel_, biggest fairy in all of Lima, but that didn't make him gay. Neither did the continuous thoughts of said kiss, or the thoughts of the other's dainty hands on his chest, pushing against him to get away. Even the secret stash of pictures guys kissing in his laptop folder marked 'HOT GIRL ON GIRL ACTION', that was password locked, didn't make him gay.

He wrote down the address of the Starbucks the other wanted to meet at before tossing the paper to the side. He'd find it later. "Since you went through the trouble of stalking me on here, at least let me kick your ass a few times. Maybe that'd make me feel better."

And there was that god damn smug smirk again. He could hear it in the other's voice. _He could picture it_. The way that Blaine's lips quirked up just slightly … Dave shook his head. The thought just pissed him off more.

"That's _if_ you can beat me."

"That's it, fucker. I'm kicking your god damn ass. I've had enough of you."

That was the first time Karofsky had lost. He'd never even lost against Azimio, and he was convinced the guy _breathed_ Halo. Of course, the fact that he lost only pissed him off further. He shut the xbox off without saying goodbye before flipping his laptop open and hunting down Kurt's Facebook page.

The happy smile on the other's default picture made him stop. That happy face … He'd never seen it. Well … he'd never seen it directed at him. Dave's chest tightened before he found the 'Send Message' button in the top right hand corner and quickly typed out a short but sweet message and sent it.

* * *

Kurt rose a delicately shaped brow as he sipped at his tea. He had a message? He clicked on it and nearly dropped his tea cup. _A message from Dave Karofsky_. Karofsky was going as far as to torment him on the internet now? He supposed it wasn't beyond Dave, but Kurt had thought that the internet was his safe place away from the bully. Kurt nearly immediately deleted the message but something in the 'preview' message made him click on it.

_**Between Dave Karofsky and You**_

_Tell your boyfriend to leave me the hell alone._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

"You're doing _what_ exactly with _Karofsky_?"

"It's just a little coffee … Don't worry, Kurt," Blaine said, flashing him that oh-so-charming smile that made Kurt frown and think about what he wanted to say.

"I hope you realize what you're doing … "

"I'm only going to talk to him …" and then those hands were on Kurt's shoulders and he inhaled sharply, "… he needs someone to talk to right now. Perhaps I can get him to come around."

Kurt thought about it before nodding, "Just be careful. He's … _unstable_." The fashionista hated the idea of Blaine going to see Dave by himself. He knew that Dave was going through a hard time and needed help, but Kurt (and Blaine) had offered to help him before and instead all they received were insults and attacks.

"He just needs someone to talk to."

* * *

Dave didn't need someone to talk to. What he needed was his damn shirt back. That was why on Friday, he was standing outside a Starbucks, staring at the sign. Really, was his shirt worth it? The option of calling his aunt and finding out where she bought it from crossed his mind once again. Thinking about it a few moments he finally pushed the door open and walked inside, frowning as he saw Blake—_no, Blaine,_ he corrected himself—sitting at a small, secluded table, wearing his usual Dalton uniform.

Did he even own anything other than that?

Dave knew the answer to that, of course. Now that he thought about it, Blaine had worn a regular t-shirt and jeans when he went to the laundry mat. Maybe he had left his uniform at the dry cleaners? He hadn't looked too bad in it—much better than that damn uniform. _Wait_. That thought didn't go through his head just now. Dave shook his head again as if doing that would take back the thought that had just breezed through his head.

Flopping down in the empty seat, Dave glared at the other with everything he had. "Where's my shirt?"

"It's in my bag, I promise," Blaine said once again with that calm exterior. Dave wanted to punch him for it. "Let me buy you a drink. What would you like?"

"Coffee. Black." Dave said, still glaring. He watched as Blaine got up from his seat and to the counter paying for a coffee. Dave tried to get comfortable in the chair, but this was just awkward. He was on a _date_ (Blaine said he didn't want to call it that, but Dave knew better) with Hummel's boyfriend. Or, he guessed they were dating. At the very least they were screwing. That thought pissed him off more and he nearly got up and walked out, but Blaine returned with the coffee, handing it to Dave. "Thanks," he muttered.

Blaine watched as Dave stared at the coffee, as if it was going to drink itself, before he finally brought the cup up to his lips and drank. The smile never left Blaine's face. "I'm really glad you came here today, David."

"Look, if you have to call me by my first name, call me Dave; you're creeping me out with the 'David'." Plus the only one who he'd ever allow to call him that was Kurt.

"I'm sorry, Dave. What would you like to talk about?"

"I _don't_ want to talk."

"Do you want to talk about how you're feel—"

"Football. Let's talk about football. You said we could do that," Dave interjected. If he was being forced to talk to this dapper bastard, he wasn't about to talk about his 'feelings'. He watched Blaine's smile falter for only a moment before he nodded.

They spent the next two and a half hours talking. Dave only noticed when his dad called to ask and make sure he was going to come home for dinner. How did so much time pass? They had started talking about football, then hockey (Blaine had seemed really interested that Dave had once played and proceeded to question him all about the game), then somehow the conversation had shifted towards talking about whom was better: Poison or Bon Jovi (that had been a thirty minute argument unto itself—Dave siding with Poison and Blaine with Bon Jovi). Staring at the time on his phone, he frowned.

What now?

"I have to go," Dave said as Blaine nodded before reaching into his bag and pulled out Dave shirt. Hell … he'd actually forgotten about the shirt, the entire reason he'd even come there. "…Thanks." Dave muttered before frowning as Blaine seemed to reach in his bag again and pull out a slip of paper. He watched as the other wrote numbers down neatly on the paper before holding it out to Dave who took it and stared at the perfectly written numbers.

"… My phone number. If you feel the need to talk more." Blaine said with a warm smile, "It's alright to be gay, Dave. Being gay doesn't mean you automatically lose your masculinity. You are who you are, and if people don't like that, then you don't need to hang out with them."

For a moment, Dave felt a glimmer of hope. Without thinking, he snorted, "I'm not gay," he said before eyeing the other and leaving to go home.

After Dave ate dinner, he moved up to his room and unloaded the contents of his pockets onto his desk. He frowned for a few moments as he stared at Blaine's handwriting on the small slip of paper. Dave debated with himself for quite a few moments before he simply stuffed the paper in his side drawer and sat down to play on his Xbox again.

Just before going to bed, Dave turned on his laptop to check his emails and found himself looking at his Facebook page once more. He was lying to the world. He was lying to himself. He frowned at the picture of him wearing blue sunglasses that matched his shirt as he tried to look as badass as possible. He was lying. He knew what that hidden folder marked 'HOT GIRL ON GIRL ACTION' really contained. He knew what he felt when he thought about that kiss with Kurt, and he knew that one of his regrets was that it was such a forced kiss. All he wanted was to go back to kiss him properly. He'd even tried to go in for a second, much better, kiss, but Kurt had pushed him away. He was lying. Dave was gay. He scowled as he looked at his profile picture before going and deleting it. He couldn't look at that lying face anymore; instead, he opted to have no picture at all. Lying was starting to take its toll on him.

What had happened to him this past year? He'd _finally_ kissed Hummel (_and liked it_). He'd even got approvement from Schuester when the football team had to join Glee. Schuester had said he was _good_ at something. Something that wasn't sports. Something that was actually _really fun_ (not that he'd admit it to anyone but himself anytime soon). He'd actually seriously thought about joining Glee … until Finn said he had to apologize to Kurt. That would mean facing his fears of what was inside him, along with a whole hell of a lot of slushies in the hall. Dave couldn't do that. He had too much to protect, like his reputation, for one. However, his jock status didn't make him happy anymore. Performing in Glee? That had made him happy. Kissing a boy? That had made his heart flutter. He wanted _those_ feelings. Hell, he just wanted to _feel_. He didn't want the feeling of having to watch everything he said just to make sure that the guys didn't find out his secret; his _dirty secret_. Why was it even such a bad thing? It was just a guy! It wasn't like he was in love with a horse or something.

Guys were human too. The only thing was they had the same parts as him. Why was it okay for him to play with his own junk and not some other guy's? Really, even if he was a chick who liked another chick,_ that_ seemed to be more socially acceptable than what he was now. How many times had he joked around with the guys in the locker room talking about which chicks would be hot with others? Even his 'secret folder' was labeled 'HOT GIRL ON GIRL ACTION'. So it was okay for girls to get together—but fuck you if you were a guy and liked guys? Dave frowned as he picked up the cat toy near him and tossed it across his room angrily, watching as his cat who had been sleeping under the desk took off after it. He knew what he had to do to try to slowly get those feelings. He turned back to his computer and clicked around his Facebook a few times.

**_You have added Blaine Anderson as a friend!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

**Between Blaine Anderson and You**

_Dave,_

_I noticed you changed your Facebook picture and haven't posted anything for a while. Is everything okay? Hopefully I didn't upset you last Friday at Starbucks. I figured I would wait a week before messaging you, and now that I have, I'm a little worried. Do you want to talk about anything? I always have an open ear. If you don't want to talk on here, you have my cell phone number … Or we can meet up at Starbucks again? (:_

_-Blaine_

**Between Dave Karofsky and You**

_Im fine. My life doesn't revolve around Facebook, you know? I just didn't like that picture anymore so I took it down and haven't gotten to put up a new one - got a problem w/ that? Why do you always wanna talk about shit? Nothing is going on, dammit_

**Between Blaine Anderson and You**

_Dave,_

_I'm sorry to have assumed … I just noticed you posted every day before then and then suddenly … nothing. Not even asking anyone to come play on xbox. Shame. It was a good picture. (: I just wanted to let you know that if you needed to talk … I'm here. I know how hard things can be when you're in your position, in the closet. I'm really only here to help. Maybe another coffee meetup?_

_-Blaine_

**Between Dave Karofsky and You**

_Are you seriously stalking me now? That sounds so stalkerish … It wasn't a good picture. I deleted it from my page completely. I'm not in the damn closet – quit tryin to make me gay! I'm seriously about to delete you off of here!_

_… I suppose I can go for coffee again._

**Between Blaine Anderson and You**

_Dave,_

_No, it was a simple observation. Ah … then I'm afraid I'm going to miss that picture. It was far better than the blank now. Perhaps we'll talk about this more later. How about you come to my house for coffee? Its more private, we can talk about any … issues … you might be having._

_-Blaine_

**Between Dave Karofsky and You**

_… Are you hitting on me?_

_Your house? Look, I don't want shit getting more "private" than they were in that coffee shop. I don't have any issues! Why can't you get that through your head? I'm pretty sure I made it very clear that nothing is wrong with me … Fine, I'll come to your house on one condition: Halo rematch._

**Between Blaine Anderson and You**

_Dave,_

_No, I'm not hitting on you, it's called a compliment. I thought you might be a little more comfortable at my house since you won't have to … hide. You can speak freely. Halo rematch? Well, if you're ready to lose again that quickly … Alright. (:_

* * *

Dave couldn't believe he was actually standing outside Blaine's house a week after their messaging back and forth. A _nice_ house. He felt inadequate standing on the spacious front porch. He probably looked like hell too; wearing blue jeans and his favorite shirt that Blaine had returned. This house felt like he should be wearing a suit or something more … fancy. Fancy … He frowned as he thought of Kurt. What if Kurt was here? What if this was all one big set up? He was about to walk away and go back to his car when the door opened.

"Dave! You made it," Blaine said smiling. Seriously, was it too much to ask for this guy to STOP smiling so much?

"Uh … yeah …" Dave replied awkwardly as he turned back to the other.

"Well, come in," Blaine said, watching as Dave thought about it for a moment before he finally slipped into the door, looking around at the rather nice house.

Well, this just made him feel poor. Bastard. Maybe that was the whole reason that Blaine had invited him here. _'Look what I have, Karofsky. I have this nice house, nice clothes, and nice car. I can go frolic in public, showing off my gayness while you sit here and hide it. I'm even dating the boy you gave your first boy kiss to!'_ Dave had thought so much about it that he clenched his fists and nearly punched the other for saying words he hadn't really said.

"Follow me, I'll show you to my room where the Xbox is," Blaine said as he began to lead Dave up the stairs.

"Hummel isn't here?" Dave blurted out before he could stop himself, watching as Blaine paused on the stairs, giving him a curious look.

"Why would he be here?"

"… Aren't you two dating? And this is just some scheme to get me to apologize or some fucking gay intervention or some bullshit where you try to force me out of the closet?"

Blaine stared at him for a moment before laughing, "No, no. You have it wrong. Kurt and I are just good friends. We're not dating. This is most certainly not some 'gay intervention'—you're not gay, remember?" He said which just earned him a completely confused look from Dave. "This is just two football fans going to drink coffee and play some Xbox."

" … Right," Dave managed to say as he followed Blaine up to his room that was surprisingly … normal. There were a few posters around, and Dave walked over to a Beatles' poster. "Beatles?"

"Of course. Their music is amazing. It's how I get through my homework sometimes."

Dave nodded and looked around again, seeing a poster for the Buckeyes, and even a football signed by the team. "You really are a Buckeyes fan."

"Why would I lie about that? Like I said before, Dave. Just because you're gay doesn't mean you hand over your man card. You can be you: football player, hockey player, Xbox gamer, occasional laundromat visitor, and be gay. Hell, gay guys _love_ jocks. If you _were_ gay, you'd probably have guys fighting over you," He said chuckling. "I think it's the tight pants they wear."

Just great. Now Dave was going to be wondering who's staring at him while he's in uniform. He knew it was true, too. He'd caught himself one too many times taking a peek at Puckerman's or Evans' ass. Seeing the look on Dave's face, Blaine patted the other's shoulder. "Being gay is a part of who you are. Just like being a jock or … being able to sing and dance is. It's not something you can will away. It'll always be there, and there's nothing wrong with it. Now, cmon, let's get this rematch started, ok?" He said, giving Dave that warm smile once more as he called out for a maid—a fucking _maid_—to bring them up two coffees, black.

Dave sat on the couch next to the other as Blaine handed him a controller. "… You remembered how I like my coffee?" He asked confused.

"Your order is a little easier than Kurt's, I'll have to admit," and there was that damn smile again. "I have a knack for remembering coffee orders. I worked at Dalton's coffee shop for a semester. Two coffee orders are a lot easier to remember than fifty or more."

" … Huh," was all Dave could manage before turning his attention back to the television screen.

The next three hours were filled coffee drinking, trash talking, and Dave getting so fed up he couldn't beat the other that he threw the controller down. "How the hell did you get so good at this?"

"It's a good stress reliever, and when you go to Dalton, you need a lot of stress relief, believe me," Blaine said laughing some.

Dave finally decided to take everything in. Here he was, hanging out with Blaine. Douche nozzle. He was actually having … fun with the guy. They weren't having a gay intervention. Kurt wasn't here for Dave to be forced into an apology. They were just relaxing and playing a little Halo (or a lot, since somehow three hours had flown by). Then he noticed Blaine. How did he not notice before? Blaine was wearing a form fitting black buttoned down shirt with an obnoxious looking plaid bowtie and a pair of jeans that fit him rather nicely (except for the length which seemed to be at least three inches too short, or maybe it was the way he was sitting); both no doubt some designer that Dave couldn't even begin to try to pronounce their name. His hair wasn't plastered down to his head and actually looked rather … soft. Blaine had managed to remember his coffee order after one time ordering it. On top of that, even though Dave had threatened him over and over and given him the coldest shoulder he could manage—Blaine still wanted to be his friend. He wanted to _help_ him. Not even his best friend had tried to talk to him the past few weeks. Azimio had avoided him like the plague except for the usual slushie hunts (where the jocks hunted down the nerds to give them slushie facials). Even Kurt had given up on him it seemed. He couldn't really blame the fashionista, but still. The only one who had put up with all of Dave's shit and actively tried to help him and be his friend was one person he held such a grudge against—all because Blaine had tried to help him (and partly because he'd thought Blaine was dating Kurt).

"Is something wrong, Dave?" Blaine asked in a concerned tone, knocking Dave out of his thoughts.

"… I'm gay."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

He'd just blurted it out. How could he have been so stupid? Maybe one too many hits out on the football field and hockey rink were finally taking their toll on Dave. However, he didn't burst into flames. He didn't have a heart attack or feel damned to spend eternity in Hell. He was just … Dave Karofsky. He stood—when had he even gotten off the couch?—staring, shell-shocked at Blaine who just looked at him. _Smiling._ Always that damn _smile_. However, this time it didn't have that certain smug quality to it. It was … comforting. Something that made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

"How does it feel?" Blaine asked finally.

"… What?"

"How does it feel to say _it _out loud?"

Dave had to seriously think about it. "I feel … alright?" He said. Honestly, he didn't know what to say. He was feeling so many things at once. However the most prominent feeling was relief that the first person he actually _said_ the forbidden words to didn't seem to hate him for being … him. Instead he was getting a comforting smile and approval. It was nothing like how he pictured it would be if he ever _did_ admit his dirty (what made it so dirty again?) secret.

Blaine stood and he watched as Blaine moved closer to him before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and said the four most comforting words Dave had ever heard in his life, "You are not alone."

Dave didn't know what to say. Hell, he was half tempted to _cry._ Dave Karofsky didn't _cry_, not even when he got the shit beat out of him in hockey or football. Okay, maybe he did cry … But never in the presence of anyone … Only when he was home alone in his bedroom. Like when Kurt had denied him after his kiss and he'd skipped the rest of the school day, ran home, and cried under his blankets where no one could hurt him. Then Blaine did the strangest thing, and Dave was grateful for it: he handed him the controller once more. "Cmon. Best two out of three," Blaine told him and Dave could merely nod and take the controller.

The two were able to get through thirty minutes of playing before Dave finally put the controller down. Blaine looked over at him curiously, "Is everything okay, Dave?"

"… I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Did he really? Well, he'd already admitted his dark secret to Blaine. He just couldn't bring himself to talk to him no matter how hard he tried to will his lips to move and spill everything. He looked down as he felt Blaine's hand on his arm gently. "Let's just take it slow, okay?" Blaine told him and he simply nodded. Blaine turned the television and Xbox off and returned to his seat on the couch next to Dave. He was silent then and began to simply watch him, which made Dave uncomfortable, even though he knew that it wasn't an accusing look, just one of curiosity and trying to understand what Dave was trying to hide. After a few moments, he nodded, "Do you like Kurt?"

Dave's eyes widened as he stared at him, "W-What?" It had been so sudden and really, it scared Dave. Was he that see through? Maybe Azimio really did know he was gay and that was why he'd been avoiding him. No, no … That couldn't be right – if it was, Dave would have already been covered in slushies daily and the only slushie he'd ever received was by the hockey team when he'd been prancing around as a zombie.

"Do you like Kurt?" Blaine asked calmly, watching as Dave's face slowly took on a pink color. "You can tell me if you do, I'm not going to get upset or anything. Like I said before: we're not dating."

Dave was silent for a few moments before he finally nodded. "He's the only gay guy I know … and he's like a chick so … it's not like you're really gay if you like him right? And how the hell did you just come out with that?"

Blaine chuckled some, "You're always talking about him. You were secretly hoping he was here today, weren't you? When you asked me if he was here …"

Dave paused, thinking about it. Had he really been hoping to see Kurt? Had he mistaken longing for fear earlier? Now that he thought about it … he had mentioned Kurt a lot to Blaine. Hell, he'd assumed the two of them were dating and now that they weren't … did Dave have a shot? A better question was: if Blaine had noticed just how much he talked about Kurt, who else had noticed? "No … I wasn't hoping he was here … I just didn't want to be forced to apologize to him."

"I see," Blaine said, still smiling; _always_ smiling. "As for your other point, although Kurt is very … feminine … he's still a guy. Is he the only one you've felt this way for?" Blaine asked. Maybe it was just a little man crush. Blaine watched as Dave thought a moment on how to answer before seeing the jock shake his head. "I understand, but I stand by what I say—there is nothing wrong with liking guys."

"Shit … it's just … its _wrong_! Everyone says its wrong: my friends say it's wrong, my parents say it's wrong, _the Bible_ says it's wrong. Hell, you should hear what my mom says! When she gay guys on television she's always like, 'Look at those diseased freaks … You know they're damned to Hell, right?'" Everytime he heard his mom say that, it cut deep.

'_Oh … I see now_,' Blaine thought to himself. "David … " He said, placing a comforting hand on the other's shoulder, watching the other's body go rigid. "It's okay to stick to your religion and still be gay. There are plenty of Christian gays, you know …" Blaine watched as Dave's body seemed to relax before the other male slumped more in his seat. "How is this … we'll take it one step at a time okay? How about I give you some homework?"

Dave frowned at the mention of 'homework'. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to go home … and write a letter to Kurt about how you feel. Apologize to him and let him know how you really feel, okay? I'll give it to him for you … And it will be a secret just between the three of us, alright?"

"I can't do that … "

"Why not?"

"I just can't! Shit! I've tormented him enough! Now you want me to fucking write a letter confessing my undying love for him or some other bullshit?" Dave asked as he stood up, ignoring how Blaine seemed to back up some, glaring at the other. "I can't _do_ that! It's already bad I admitted this to you—God knows why I did _that_—but now you want me to admit it to Fancy too?" Dave grabbed turned to head towards the door. "I'm leaving …" He said as he stomped to the door and out of it before leaving Blaine's house.

The Dalton male sighed as he sat on his couch. They'd had a breakthrough and then it had all fallen apart just as quick. He wanted to help Dave because he didn't want him to be one of those self-hating gays or get to the point where he honestly contemplated suicide. There were far too many of those happening nowadays and he didn't want Dave to just become another statistic. He had high hopes for the jock and he wanted to see Dave soar with success. Instead, he'd just blown it by giving the other a suggestion of doing some sort of homework. In retrospect, he supposed that perhaps it had been too much to ask. Maybe he should have just asked him to write the letter then burn it or something—just something for Dave to get out of his system. Either way it was much too late for that.

One step forward, two steps back.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there). This was written far before the apology scene that happened on Glee (Dave isn't even a part of the Bully Whips in this verse) ... So yes, it's much different than the show, please don't bother to alert me to that fact.

* * *

Walking down the hallways of William McKinley, Dave couldn't help but feel nervous. He wasn't paying attention to a word that Azimio was saying. Something about who they should award their afternoon swirly to, he thought. He knew his impending doom was coming and he couldn't help but think about what to do if all this ended badly. Just like that, he saw the crisp Dalton uniform standing in front of him, Finn by the male's side. The plastic cup in Kurt's hand spelled out certain doom.

'_At least he got the red one …_ ' Dave thought to himself as he swallowed thickly, ignoring what Azimio was trying to say to Kurt.

He knew what was going to happen.

He noticed people stopping in the hall to see what was going on—after all, it was rare that someone so low on the social totem pole stood up to a jock. Kurt was holding a slushie in one hand and they were having a standoff with the football players. Then, the slushie was flying in midair, soaking Dave as he inhaled sharply from the sudden cold hitting him. The next thing he knew Azimio was ready to jump Kurt and Finn was standing in front of Kurt protectively.

"Leave him alone, Azimio …" Dave said as he turned to find a bathroom to get the sticky substance off of him. He hoped he'd made the right decision when he'd agreed to this a few days prior.

* * *

Dave was starting to get used to these coffee 'meetups'—as Blaine put it. Every few days, he met up with Blaine at the Starbucks to have a cup of coffee and discuss random events. Blaine didn't question him any more about his sexuality, thankfully. However, nearly a week after Dave had sent Kurt the message on Facebook—which Dave had forgotten about—he walked into Starbucks to see Kurt sitting next to Blaine and frowned. There was an odd feeling in his chest, some sort of jealousy, maybe? It had to be because Kurt was here. Blaine could be close to Kurt without making Kurt feel awkward, but Dave couldn't.

"Dave?" Blaine asked before smiling, "I already got your drink." He watched as Blaine motioned to a cup of coffee sitting in front of an empty chair, steam still rising from it.

The jock debated on whether or not he should leave before going and plopping down in the chair, sipping at the coffee.

"Kurt told me about your message."

Dave nearly spit his coffee over the table as he glared at Kurt. How could he do that? It was something personal between them. He'd apologized behind Blaine's back just so the male didn't know that he'd actually taken Blaine's advice! The jock felt completely betrayed. Why was it that everytime he gave someone his trust, they turned around and did something that made him regret he ever did that. True, he hadn't explicitly said that the apology was secret, but still!

"I accept your apology, on _one_ condition," Kurt said, arms crossed over his chest.

"You … wait, _what_?" Dave asked confused.

"I accept your apology. Well, not really, but if you agree to my condition, I'll accept your apology," Kurt responded as he continued to watch the other. Dave took a few moments before he finally nodded and Kurt continued, "I slushie you … in front of the football team. I'm sure you want to apologize, but, this is just a way to see if you genuinely mean what you're saying and this isn't just some sort of way to say sorry because it's 'the right thing' to do."

"What the hell—No! That's not going to happen!"

Blaine sighed, leaning forward, "It's just a small price to pay, Dave … And like Kurt said, it shows that you're really ready to apologize …"

Dave thought about it for a few moments. He had to _prove_ he was sorry now? Wasn't crying over the fact that he beat the everliving hell out of Kurt enough? He supposed they didn't exactly know that part. Okay, a slushie to the face sucked, but he supposed that he could take one of those and have his slate cleaned. It really was a small price to pay … "Fine. But only if it's red."

Kurt seemed honestly shocked that Dave had agreed to be slushied in front of his friends. He listened as Dave told him that Friday mornings the football team made rounds to see who should be their final swirly of the school week and that Kurt could catch them then. The boy simply nodded, unsure what else to say. Really, Kurt hadn't expected him to really say yes and now he felt like if he didn't go through with it that Dave would take that as Kurt not really accepting his apology.

Blaine smiled, "Wonderful! Now that that is all settled … Perhaps we can have a nice coffee meetup. Dare I say this could be the start of a coffee club?"

The slushie in the morning had really thrown Dave off his game. He was practically outing himself right then and there. Azimio questioned him about it and Dave had simply told him it was a 'momentary stupid move' and that he 'should have beaten the punk's face in'. He knew he didn't mean those words. He was lying again. He couldn't stop the endless cycle of lying; of hiding who he was to the world. Hadn't Blaine said it was okay to be gay? To be _himself_? So why was he still hiding? Dave questioned himself the entire time he showered and by the time he sat in front of his computer, drying his hair, he didn't know what to think anymore. He clicked around on his computer, frowning as he saw another Facebook message.

_**Between Kurt Hummel and You**_

_Karofsky, _

_Thank you for stopping Azimio. You're only getting one shot at this. Put one __**toe**__ out of line, and I will never forgive you. I'm not quite sure why I'm even giving you this chance, but Blaine seems to think this is best for both of us. He says you've changed, but I'm still on the fence about that. I'm serious. Only one chance. _

The message was accompanied by the strangest thing: A friend request from Kurt Hummel.

However, Dave's heart didn't flutter. He frowned. Shouldn't he be happy that the object of his school crush was finally going to give him a chance? Shouldn't Dave be thrilled that this friend request could be the start of an _actual_ friendship between the two of them? Instead, he felt nothing. He thought of Kurt and Blaine together, and he felt that pang of jealousy return. Dave was too confused to think about it right now. He simply clicked 'Accept' and decided to go to bed.

The next day started off horrible. Dave woke to find that his cat decided to use his face as a scratching post and had three deep cuts across his cheek. Then the clothes he'd wanted to wear weren't washed. However, it wasn't until he'd gotten to school that the shit hit the fan. Walking towards the school, he soon found himself pushed roughly up against the brick wall of the school.

"What the fuck are you doing with that fairy?" Azimio growled at Dave.

Dave pushed the male away. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"First, you let that fag hit you with a slushie, and now you're _friends with him on Facebook_? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Shit. He'd forgotten that others could see when you became friends with someone. Luckily, no one here knew about Blaine, so he hadn't been caught then. However, the combination of the odd slushie treatment, then Facebook add certainly sent off signals. Dave swallowed thickly. He had to do it. He couldn't keep lying. _Hiding_. "Az … " He started, feeling his mouth go dry. He was going to lose his friend. He just knew it. His one true friend … But if he was his true friend, then, they'd still be friends after this, right? He looked around a moment. "Az … I'm gay."

Azimio undid his hold on Dave's shirt quickly as if the words themselves were contagious, staring at him. "_What_?"

"… I'm … I'm gay. I like dudes okay?"

"You're not fucking gay! You're my friend … you're not a fucking fairy."

"Dude … I am what I am! I … I like guys, okay? Shit … I can't change that!" Dave said, starting to feel his world fall around him. Why did he have that little bit of hope that had said Azimio would still be friends with him?

"TAKE IT BACK!" Azimio yelled at the other.

"I can't fucking take it back! It's just … who I am! Shit … You don't think I haven't tried to think … _straight_? I just … I'm gay! I like guys!" He said as Azimio's fist met his face. Dave stared at him in disbelief as he held his bruised cheek. "What the fuck, Az … we're friends … "

"I ain't friends with a fairy … You can go be damned with Hummel."

Dave watched as Azimio walked off. He felt sick. He'd just lost his best—hell, his only—friend. No, that wasn't true. He still had a friend … Blaine Anderson, the first person to just accept him for who he was. Dave turned away from the school and immediately headed for his truck, getting in the driver's seat. He sat silently before he found tears sliding from his eyes and he did the one thing he could think of to do. He pulled out his cell phone and began to text as best he could through watery eyes.

_**To: Blaine Anderson**_

… _can we meet? Need 2 tlk 2 sum1._


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there).

* * *

Blaine frowned as he watched Dave. He'd taken off from his classes and invited Dave over to his house. The entire time that Dave had been there, he'd just stared at his cup of coffee and didn't say a word. He scooted his chair closer to Dave, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Let's talk about it, Dave …" He said quietly, wanting desperately to help the other who'd texted him for help.

Dave took a swig of his coffee—wishing so desperately that there was alcohol mixed into it—before finally talking, "… he just … disowned me. I lost my best friend … because I'm gay … Shit … He's … He's been my friend for … so long … Since we were six years old!"

"If he can't accept who you are, Dave, he's not really your friend."

"He's the only friend I have … " Even though he'd tried to remind himself that Blaine was his friend while he was in his car, it just didn't take. Azimio was his friend. Blaine was just someone he had coffee with, played xbox, talked about eighties hair bands, and generally hung out with. Totally not friends.

"Is that really true, Dave?" Blaine asked as he watched Dave nod. The male simply chuckled, "Now, if that was true, would you have been able to call me?" He watched Dave look at him confused, trying desperately not to let the fact that he hoped they were friends be read all over his face. "I'm your friend, Dave. Kurt is slowly learning to trust you again … So that would be like, one and a half friends right there."

Blaine squeezed the other's shoulder as he gave Dave his classic smile. That _damn smile_. Why did it look so good?

Dave felt his chest tighten once again. This feeling … it was what he'd expected to feel when he saw Kurt's friend request. How did this happen? This change from his heart fluttering when he saw Kurt to when he saw Blaine. Maybe it had been when the other male refused to give up on him, like Kurt had. Blaine had been determined to help him; Kurt had abandoned him (for good reason, of course), but Blaine was always there. That jealousy he'd felt at the coffee shop … It had been because Kurt was intruding on _Blaine and his_ time. Coffee _dates_ were their thing—no Kurts (or anyone else) allowed.

Why was this happening? Why couldn't he be as strong as Blaine or Kurt? Why was he, _Dave Karofsky_, breaking down over this? His entire world was falling apart and he could do nothing about it. He just wanted someone to tell him what to do; how to act. Fuck, he'd even take some sort of Gay Playbook so he could at least know which steps to take and which to avoid. He wanted things to go back to normal. _He_ wanted to be _normal_.

Blaine sighed as ne noticed the other's near catatonic state. He stood, trying to smile and keep the other positive. "How about we play some Halo? Would that help?" He continued to watch Dave before the male nodded and he took the other's hand and led him up to his room.

Dave looked down at their hands and couldn't help the faint blush that crept over his face. Suddenly, Dave wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone with Blaine. This was just too much to take in at once. Once they were in Blaine's room, the male let go of Dave's hand to get the controllers. Dave stood, brows furrowed in thought. As Blaine came over with a controller, Dave finally spoke. "… I … don't like Kurt," he said, shocking himself. Honestly, he'd only meant to think it, but he'd suddenly blurted it out. He wasn't even sure if he really meant what he was thinking! He'd only _just_ realized he may not have been so in love with Kurt as he first thought. Not only that, he'd said _Kurt._ Not 'Fancy' or 'Hummel' or any other nickname he could come up with the smaller male.

"Oh …" Blaine said simply. "… Is there someone you like?"

Thinking it over, Dave wasn't sure anymore. Did he like Blaine because he was Blaine, or did he like him because he hadn't given up on Dave and was getting the attention he so desperately craved from him? "… I don't know. Maybe," he said, confusion clear on his face.

Blaine smiled as he pat the other's shoulder, "You like music right? … You liked when you were in Glee, right?" He questioned, remembering seeing the other run onto the field to join his team in dancing to Thriller/Heads Will Roll. Blaine watched as Dave nodded. "Then find a song that will help you express yourself. Nothing is more powerful than music … You don't have to sing it to anyone other than yourself. Try singing it in the mirror," Blaine suggested. "I do it all the time when I feel like expressing myself."

Dave simply nodded. It was an idea. He smiled some and took the controller from the other. "I'm going to beat you this time … I've been practicing."

"We'll see about that," Blaine responded, smiling.

* * *

Dave sighed as he found himself staring at himself in the mirror. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to sing? He was alone in the house, so he could go crazy if he wanted. He swallowed thickly before going to his stereo system and dug around until he found one of his old CDs. Jars of Clay. Something from back when he was really into listening to Christian rock bands. Not that he had ever grew out of it—he still loved listening to that music (it was much better than some of the crap bands put out today). Popping the CD into the stereo, he heard the song start up as he moved over to the mirror to sing.

_Rain, rain on my face _

_It hasn't stopped raining for days  
My world is a flood _

_Slowly I become one with the mud _

Dave frowned as he saw himself in the mirror. He knew what the song was supposed to be about, but he began to picture Blaine. Blaine who'd talked to him calmly and rationally even though he'd yelled and threatened him.

_But if I can't swim after forty days  
And my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves  
Lift me up so high that I cannot fall  
Lift me up  
Lift me up - when I'm falling  
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying  
Lift me up - I need you to hold me  
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again _

Blaine who'd helped him when he needed help the most …

_Downpour on my soul  
Splashing in the ocean, I'm losing control  
Dark sky all around  
I can't feel my feet touching the ground _

Blaine who was helping him find himself. Blaine who was trying to make him whole once again …

Dave slammed his hand down on the STOP button, staring at the ground. Why couldn't he stop thinking about him? Why was his head filled with thoughts of Blaine? Hadn't he been in love with Kurt? Well … he had been. He'd been _obsessed_ with Kurt. However, then he'd forced Kurt away from him. Dave had been so hurt and so alone. Then, Blaine had happened. They'd met in that laundromat and Blaine had given him that smile—

_That gorgeous smile._

Blaine didn't give up on him. He'd grown attached to that caring attitude and without realizing … he'd grown fond of the other. "I … I like … Blaine?" Dave allowed himself to say aloud. Did Blaine like him? He couldn't go through heartbreak again like he had with Kurt. His psyche couldn't take it. Swallowing thickly, Dave got up and moved to his desk, grabbing his cell phone. It took him a few minutes before he gathered the courage to finally text Blaine.

_**To Blaine Anderson:**_

_do u like ne1?_

_**To Dave Karofsky:**_

… _I'm not sure right now. Why?_

_**To Blaine Anderson:**_

_just didn't kno how u felt about kurt_

_**To Dave Karofsky:**_

_He's just a friend. Well, more like a best friend, but that's it._

_**To Blaine Anderson:**_

_oic do I kno the guy u mite liek?_

_**To Dave Karofsky:**_

_I'm sure. He goes to William McKinley and he is a football player._

Dave frowned as he stared at the text message. Blaine liked someone on the football team. He figured that Kurt was more Blaine's type. The only person he could think of like that on the football team might have been Evans. The kid _screamed_ gay. Those lips … that hair … He was the poster boy for the Team Gay. He was sure that he'd heard that Evans came from an all boy's boarding school … What if he'd come from Dalton? What if Evans was some obsession that Blaine had had at Dalton—an unrequited love? Dave's chest hurt from the thought. He tried to soothe the painful throb in his chest before he texted back to Blaine.

_**To Blaine Anderson:**_

_remember when I said I might lyk a guy? I do lyk him_ …

_**To Dave Karofsky:**_

_Wonderful! What is he like?_

_**To Blaine Anderson:**_

_rly nice, soft hair, patient, good singr, rly annoyin sumtimes bt still cool_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or any of the characters mentioned, and I sure as hell am not making a profit off of it.

**Author's Note:** This is set somewhere after Dave and Blaine met on the stairs for the first time – everything else that happened after this canonly is null and void for the purposes of this story. It was first uploaded on LiveJournal and I'm loading it on after a few tweaks (by which I mean, a few words here and there). If you're wondering, the song is "Boyfriend" by Big Time Rush.

* * *

The next few weeks at school had been hell. Dave was seeing red. Literally. It was as if he couldn't walk ten feet without another slushie raining down on him. Even the Glee club had taken pity on him. First, the chick who was always around Kurt—Mercury? Or maybe it was Mercedes; it was some sort of car name—had led Dave to an unused bathroom and helped him clean off the sticky substance. She'd said she was grateful that Dave was leaving her "baby boy" alone and that although Dave "deserved a thousand more slushies" for all the things he'd done to Kurt, his depressed state was making her feel pity for him. Then by the end of Wednesday, Quinn Fabray had come up to him with a poncho, telling him it would help keep his clothes dry at least. He never wore the poncho. He'd take the slushies. After all, he deserved it, right? For liking a guy? The worst was when the wheelchair kid came up to him offering him a towel and a few words of wisdom about places to avoid. Hell, Dave knew those places better than anyone … He'd hunted down these kids for fun. Now he was the one being hunted.

The only thing that kept him going was Blaine. He hung out with the Dalton male more and more; sometimes at Blaine's house and sometimes at Dave's. Dave was learning more and more about Blaine, and Blaine had even managed to make the male break out into full-on smiles. Even when they couldn't hang out in person, they would meet up on Xbox Live in order to have a game of Halo which would usually end with Dave cursing Blaine out for being "too good" at the game. Blaine seemed to know just how to push all the right buttons. When Dave was having a horrible day at school, Blaine just _knew_—that or Blaine was seriously stalking him—and Dave would find a few encouraging words texted to him.

However, Dave didn't tell Blaine how he felt about him. At least, not to his face.

The last time he'd mentioned liking someone, had been when he described his crush. Blaine had never brought it up again. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Blaine knew. He had to have realized how close they'd gotten over the past few weeks. Blaine had even sat down and charmed his parents at dinner one night he'd stayed late! That was why, when Dave found himself at Blaine's house one Saturday, he couldn't focus on Halo.

"Is everything ok, Dave? You're practically letting me win … I mean, I would win regardless, but …" He said, dragging out the 'but'. When he didn't get a laugh or any sort of reaction from Dave, he frowned some. "Dave?" He questioned.

Dave sighed, "Sorry, guess my mind's in other places … "

"Do you want to talk about it?" Blaine asked as he placed his controller to the side.

Dave focused on his controller like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "… Have you ever kissed a … _guy_?"

"… Yes? Is that what's on your mind?" He asked as he moved a little closer to the other, "Is this about that guy you like? Did he do something you didn't want to?" Blaine asked with a frown that disappeared when Dave shook his head quickly.

"No … I just … I was just wondering … I mean … I haven't … not properly, at least … So … "

"Do you want to?" Blaine asked, "Right now?"

Dave looked up at the other, completely confused as his heart clenched at the thought of getting to kiss the person he was crushing on. The next thing he knew, he was finding Blaine's lips on his own. The jock was shell-shocked for a moment, unsure what to do. Blaine was kissing him.

_Blaine was kissing him._

When Dave didn't respond back, Blaine pulled away frowning, "Is everything okay? … I probably shouldn't have done—"

He was cut off by Dave tossing his controller to the ground and pulling him closer. Blaine noticed the hesitation as they got close enough to kiss, "It's okay, Dave. If you want to try it out, you won't be forcing me. It can be practice for the guy you like, right?" He offered and Dave gave a soft nod, pressing his lips against Blaine's. Blaine responded to the kiss, wrapping his arms around Dave's neck loosely. It actually wasn't that bad and somewhere in the back of his mind he told himself that whoever Dave was crushing on was quite the lucky male.

Without realizing it, Blaine was on his back on the couch they'd been sitting on, Dave hovering over him as he kissed him. He felt Dave's hand casually side up his side as if trying to memorize his curves—not that he had any—and gasped as Dave's cold hand touched his warm skin. The gasp allowed Dave to gather the courage to push the kiss further, letting his tongue break the unspoken barrier.

Then Dave was pulling away from Blaine quickly.

It took Blaine a moment to realize what had happened before frowning slightly, "Dave? Are you okay?" He watched as Dave stared at him confused before grabbing his things and muttering something about having to go. Blaine frowned as he watched Dave practically run from the room and heard the front door slam. He sighed as he flopped back down onto the couch hoping he hadn't just ruined their friendship.

* * *

Blaine sighed as he picked at the nonexistent fuzz on his sheets while he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Do you think I upset him?" He asked the person on the other line. He hadn't seen or heard from Dave in three days since he kissed him. He'd tried to text, Facebook chat and even tried to call a few times with no answer.

He heard Kurt sigh on the other end of the line, "Probably … I told you before … he's _unstable_."

"He only needed someone to talk to. He was really confused and … lost … " Blaine sighed, "I shouldn't have kissed him."

"No. You shouldn't have," Kurt said a bitterly.

"… Now you're upset with me …"

"… You're rather oblivious aren't you?" He heard Kurt say before frowning some. "… We hang out all the time, or we did, until your little 'Karofsky Project'. We like a lot of the same things and … Was I supposed to think that … this thing we had … was nothing?"

Blaine was silent for a while before frowning, "What do you mean?"

"… I like you …" Kurt said after a few quiet moments, "But … you obviously like Karofsky … He's all you ever talk about now … The entire reason you called me today was to talk about him—not even ask how I was or if I wanted to hang out …"

Blaine could hear the hurt tone in Kurt's voice and he sat in silent reflection until he heard Kurt calling his name, "You're right … I'm … I'm sorry, Kurt … I … didn't think … "

"It's alright … " Kurt said, "Not the first time I've been shot down … At least you didn't realize …" Blaine was sure that he heard the other let out a small sniffle. He went to respond but Kurt got to it before him. "Now … We'll have to think of some way to win Dave over … But for this … I think we might need the Warbler's help along with some guys from William McKinley."

* * *

Dave had managed to avoid Blaine for the past week. He wasn't sure, but after three days of ignoring him—Blaine had stopped trying. Maybe he finally was backing off … Maybe Blaine was giving up on him? Dave frowned. That wasn't like him. Either way, Dave had found himself attending Glee meetings and slowly becoming friends with the guys there. They really weren't that bad. The first day, Finn had clapped him on the shoulder and told him all the guys had his back. Puckerman had added in, "Hell yeah. We'll kick whoever's ass who tries to mess with you—you're one of us now."

_He had friends_.

But for the past two days, they'd cancelled Glee meetings and left Dave in the dark. Maybe it was too soon … He really wasn't welcome. It was Friday afternoon and he hadn't seen a single Glee club member. It was rather depressing. Then suddenly, standing in the middle of the hallway, there _he_ was.

Blaine.

"What the … hell … " Dave started as music started—or rather … the Warblers. How did he miss them? Not only that … Members of New Directions were there, joining in. Then it happened. _Blaine started to sing_. Ignoring the others in the hallway; he was singing _to Dave_.

_Have you ever had the feeling you're drawn to someone?  
And there isn't anything they could've said or done  
And everyday I see you on your own  
And I can't believe that you're alone_

_But I overheard your girls and this is what they said:  
(Looking for a looking for) that you're looking for a boyfriend  
I see that, give me time now you know I'm gonna be there  
Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that; let me down you know I'm coming right back_

_I don't care at all what you done before all I really want is to be your_

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend_

Dave had gone pale by this time and was slowly trying to back away as Blaine, the Warblers, and New Directions were singing and providing the music and backup for Blaine. Was he being completely serious? Blaine was singing about wanting to be his—_Dave Karofsky's—_boyfriend? This had to be some sort of horrible dream. He looked over to his left as he was backed up into some lockers to see Azimio standing twenty feet away, a horrified look on his face before an arm practically slammed into the locker beside him and he turned to face Blaine who was still singing.

_Let me take a little moment to find the right words  
(To find the right words)_

_So when I kick it you it ain't something that you've heard  
(something that you've heard)  
I don't know what kind of guy that you prefer  
But I know I gotta put myself or worse  
See I think got the kind of love that you deserve and I heard_

_That you're looking for a boyfriend  
I see that, give me time now you know I'm gonna be there  
Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that; let me down you know I'm coming right back_

_I don't care at all what you done before all I really want is to be your_

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend_

This was not happening to him. Dave managed to slip away from the two groups and Blaine and make his way outside to the courtyard. Which, in retrospect, probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as how this simply gave the Warblers and New Directions—who must have spent the last two days rehearsing—more room to dance and do their thing. Dave was getting dizzy, trying to pay attention to everyone and didn't see as Blaine was on his knees in front of him, holding his hands tightly.

_If you tell me where, I'm waiting here  
Everyday like slum dog millionaire  
Bigger then the Twilight love affair  
I'll be here boy I swear_

Blaine stood up, wrapping an arm around Dave's waist, motioning towards the Warblers and New Directions who were all rather enthusiastic about trying to get the two together. Suddenly Blaine was moving away to sing and show off in front of the other.

_(Looking for a looking for) that you're looking for a boyfriend  
I see that, give me time now you know I'm gonna be there  
Don't be scared to come put your trust in me  
Can't you see all I really want to be is your boyfriend  
Can't fight that; let me down you know I'm coming right back_

_I don't care at all what you done before all I really want is to be your_

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend_

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend_

_Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
Your boy boy b-b-b-b-b-boy friend  
_

_All I really want is to be your..._

They finished their number with Blaine holding Dave's hand. They ignored the applause from the other McKinley students and Blaine gave Dave his trademark smile, "Well … ?" He questioned.

"… You're serious?" Dave questioned.

"As serious as a broken ankle right before a big game."

Dave stared at the other, laughing at the other's response before sighing. "… Yeah. I guess … we can uh … be boyfriends … "


End file.
